Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[dheltzel]

I've always read that those sweaters are bad for chickens cuz they can't fluff out their feathers??
One EE and CL molted in November so I read that it could just take time? My black sex linked molted too. Her eggs were small and bullet shaped. Maybe the break will help her eggs

I can't imagine the birds liking a sweater. Their feathers are such good insulation. Sometimes I give my birds a little cracked corn in the afternoon when I know the night will be cold. That is supposed to give them energy (lots of fat in the corn oil). They think it tastes great too.

Give them time. Are you adding light to keep them laying?

 

[fisherlady]

I ponder over a solid lower wall for the run as well. I don't think it will work. Weather comes from the sky.

A solid panel around the base can be beneficial but it needs to not interfere with drainage depending on your set up. It can help reduce chicks escaping through wire breaches, can prevent some problems with predators reaching through at ground level and grabbing chickens and will create a small wind break. We use it in some sections of runs and love it...

The cautions though...don't depend on it as primary predator protection, it can be of assistance, but not sole method.... it will reduce blown in rain or snow but only slightly, it can create an area of 'entrapment' for small chicks if you aren't careful with your fencing at ground level. They may get through chciken wire and become trapped between the wire and solid panel, so pay close attention to either minimize/eliminate the gap between wire and panel or use closer meshed hardware cloth to prevent this.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Runs should be wire on the sides, save the expensive materials for the coop itself. If you can cover the run, that is a big help. I use a wire top, but a watershedding roof is even better. Wire sides allow free air flow and that will dry the run better than the increased warmth of the clear panels.

I just made a winterizing panel for my main coop from the clear roofing. I have over $40 into a panel that is 4x6 and not even very sturdy. I wanted to not block the light and I was unhappy with last winter's solution of a clear tarp in the particular location I put the panel. I still use clear tarps elseware and they would be a good option for the sides of a covered run, of you really are concerned about the prevailing winds.

I hang plastic and a tarp around my run to block wind and rain over the winter but have pondered making clear panels to put up and take down every winter.

 

[dheltzel]

I hang plastic and a tarp around my run to block wind and rain over the winter but have pondered making clear panels to put up and take down every winter.

That's what I did with a clear plastic (Tuftex) panel. It was expensive and took some time to construct a sturdy frame, but I think it will work pretty well. I'm not planning to do any more until I have a year to test it and see if is it worth the investment in time and materials. I really liked the clear plastic tarps, they are more rugged than I expected, but they don't block the wind as much as I wanted for a side of the coop that is open to the air in summer but needs more protection in the winter.

 

[TillyPeeps]

That's what I did with a clear plastic (Tuftex) panel. It was expensive and took some time to construct a sturdy frame, but I think it will work pretty well. I'm not planning to do any more until I have a year to test it and see if is it worth the investment in time and materials. I really liked the clear plastic tarps, they are more rugged than I expected, but they don't block the wind as much as I wanted for a side of the coop that is open to the air in summer but needs more protection in the winter.

Can you show some pictures of your frame for the panel? I plan to use clear roof panel for winter protection, but I need some ideas about how to build the frame so I easily remove or put back the panels.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Quote:

Quote: So, you can start seeds just under plain florescent lights? I had always thought you needed special full spectrum bulbs for growing or starting plants.
I also have a lightweight greenhouse that hubby got me last year (2015) for Christmas. Probably not very sturdy, but an excellent way to harden off some seeds. The best part is, I can construct it in our heated garage!

Quote: Just reposting this question, looking for some feedback from the turkey owners here.

 

[dheltzel]

So, you can start seeds just under plain florescent lights? I had always thought you needed special full spectrum bulbs for growing or starting plants.
I also have a lightweight greenhouse that hubby got me last year (2015) for Christmas. Probably not very sturdy, but an excellent way to harden off some seeds. The best part is, I can construct it in our heated garage!

Just reposting this question, looking for some feedback from the turkey owners here.

The 2 principle wavelengths used by plants are blue and red (incidentally, that is why chlorophyll is green, it reflect green wavelengths as useless). The red waves are critical for maturing and flowering, but not as important for growing. As a rule, blue is key for growth, red for flowering. Since you don't care much about the flowering part, a cool white flourescent tube works very well for seedling growth, but flowering plants like African Violets will flower much better under a warm white or even incandescent bulb. "In the old days" (I was raising thousands of seedlings in my parents basement in the 70's) we used cool white and sometimes added an incandescent light to the flowering plant section. Trust me, the fancy LED stuff they have nowadays is not necessary. It might be more energy efficient - I love LED bulbs for almost everything, but it is not inherently better for the seedlings.

Light intensity, more than quality, will reduce the legginess of the seedlings. Once you get them outside during the day, they will almost stop growing vertically and start filling out nicely before starting to grow up again. Temperature, especially the soil temp and night air temp, are more important than most realize. Just because they aren't killed by the cold does not mean it is a good idea to put them out in the cold soil. Biggest mistake tomato and pepper growers make it planting too early - both the seed indoors and the transplanting outdoors. I cringe when I see tomatoes in the home center in April, that's never a good idea around here.

As for the turkey poo, I'm no expert, I try to avoid that end as much as possible.

It all seems stinky and undesirable to me.

 

[dheltzel]

Anyone know if Tolbunt Polish are available in SE PA anymore?

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Im trading a stock tank for a breeding pair of buff polish if youd be interested i coukd see what other colors he has or i can give you some eggs once i get them and they start laying again

 

[dheltzel]

Im trading a stock tank for a breeding pair of buff polish if youd be interested i coukd see what other colors he has or i can give you some eggs once i get them and they start laying again

Thanks, but I'm looking for Tolbunts to add diverse genetics to a pair that a friend has. They are already crossing them with other colors, but getting back to Tolbunt is hard, so I thought a few more chicks would speed that up considerably.